Hello, All,
 
I'm glad that Scott Binkley and Kelly Rosenlund have asked questions about
propolis.  This is one of my favorite subjects and one that I have done
quite a bit of research on.  Although Kelly's questions were addressed to me
personally, I would like to answer to the entire group, because I believe
it's information that would benefit all.
 
I don't want to come off as the resident propolis expert, because I'm not,
but it doesn't appear that there is anyone on this group that knows very
much about propolis; either that or they're just not speaking up.  So, I'll
try to answer as many questions as I can for those of you who have them.
 
It appears, from the people that I associate with, both here and where I
live, that it's known that there exists a market for propolis, but everyone
that I have talked to scratch their head and ask, "Why do they want this
stuff?".  Propolis is wonderful stuff!  I can't sing it's praises loud enough.
 
Four years ago I, my wife, and my son were plagued by ear, throat and sinus
infections, almost constantly.  We were going to the doctor and getting
antibiotics almost once a quarter.  And it seemed like the more we took, the
more sick we got the next time.  Our bodies were wearing down.  Don't get me
wrong, in some extreme cases antibiotics are necessary and a wonderful
discovery.  They have saved countless thousands of lives.  But they have a
dark side.
 
Antibiotics kill ALL bacteria, both the good and the bad.  In the human
stomach lives a bacteria called Acidophilus.  It has two jobs, to help
digest food and to keep a fungus that grows in our stomach (also naturally
there) in check and in the stomach.  The fungus is called Candida Albicans.
When a person takes antibiotics, it kills the Acidophilus and as a result
the Candida is allowed to grow, unchecked.  When this happens, it escapes
the confines of the stomach and enters the blood stream, where it travels to
all parts of the body.  It causes havoc mostly with the vital organs and can
cause all sorts of symptoms that can look like other diseases.  This
condition is known as Candidiasis.  It often goes undiagnosed.  Many times
the doctors can not figure out why a person is sick.
 
Another side-effect of taking antibiotics is that the body will build up an
immunity to the antibiotics and each successive round is less effective.
 
The reason I have gone into all this lengthy explanation is that we were
killing ourselves and, initially didn't know it.  When we found out the
above information we were appalled, but didn't know what to do.  We were
continuing to have the infections and knew of no other way to treat them.
Then one day a friend told us about propolis.
 
Most beekeepers know what the stuff is and many curse it.  It's a pain to
have to deal with all that sticky stuff on everything, but not only does
propolis seal holes and cracks, it's a natural germicide.  You experts tell
me if I'm wrong, but it's my understanding that the inside of a bee hive is
one of the most sterile places on the earth (more sterile than an operating
room).  Propolis is what makes it that way.
 
When humans ingest propolis it works like a natural antibiotic, WITHOUT THE
SIDE-EFFECTS.  It is selective in what it gets rid of.  And on top of that
it boosts the human bodies' immune system to fight off diseases before you
get them.
 
After taking propolis for one year, our whole family was infection free and
have been ever since.  So, you see why I want to tell people about this
stuff and why I have done the research that I have done.
 
In upcoming posts, I will talk about trapping propolis, preparing it for
use, and the actual use of it.
 
And for those of you who have no bees and want the propolis, you can
purchase already prepared tinctures and extracts of propolis from some
health-food stores.  I would recommend that you stay away from any that
contain alcohol.  They taste bad and usually stain the teeth brown.  Twin
Laboratories, Inc. prepares the best extract that I have found.  It has no
alcohol and has been blended with other herbs for better assimilation.  I
purchase it from a health-food store, here in the Dallas/Fort Worth
metroplex, called Whole Foods, for $16/1 fl. oz. bottle with dropper.  This
sounds like a lot, but the recommended dosage, on the bottle, is only ten
drops a day.  So, it lasts a long time.
 
Well, tally-ho.  I must go.  Sorry for the length of the post.  Hopefully
the next ones will not be that long, but I needed to get all of that
background out of the way.  Thanks for your indulgence.
 
Regards,
 
 
Mike Wallace
[log in to unmask]
McKinney, Texas   USA